PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, or PUBG, is an online multiplayer battle royale game, where up to 100 players parachute onto an island, scavenge for weapons and test their shooting skills against each other to remain the last man standing. The smartphone version of PUBG, called PUBG Mobile, was released this year to capitalize on the popularity of the game and bring over the experience to the mobile segment. Ever since its release, PUBG Mobile has become massively popular, especially in India, and has even gone on to win The Golden Joystick's 2018 Mobile Game of the Year.

Season 3 of PUBG Mobile has just ended, meaning that it's time for the next season in the game cycle. Season 4 is expected to drop in today, and players all across the world will be onboarded to the new season by tomorrow. The new season also means that the leaderboard from the previous season will be reset, giving every player a clean slate and a fair chance at the leaderboard.

PUBG Mobile Season 4 with the new apk version 0.9.5 also brings in access to the new automatic assault rifle M762, which can be found on all maps and features three firing modes.

This update also brings in a Hardcore Mode to the game to add into the replayability and competitive aspects of the game. In this mode, footstep sounds and audio cues are removed, making it significantly more difficult to hunt down other players. The mode will be available periodically in the form of "Hardcore Week". There are also changes brought into the Royale Pass system, which is PUBG Mobile's attempt at monetization through the freemium model featuring cosmetics and other rewards.

PUBG Mobile's massive popularity brings to focus the state of mobile gaming, especially in the non-flagship segments of the market. PUBG Mobile has captivated the youth audience in India, and we are likely to see phone OEMs target this demographics by improving gaming performance in a segment which saw little attention on this end.

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